500 Students to Spend Christmas With Ron Paul

Candidates make last-minute preparations

(NEWSER) - A day ahead of Iowa voting, three candidates are within two points of each other in the latest poll: Ron Paul is leading the field at 20%, while Mitt Romney follows at 19% and Rick Santorum boasts 18%, having jumped eight points since earlier this week, notes Public Policy Polling . That gives him the clear momentum; he's also got the highest favorability rating at 60%. Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich trails at 14%, ahead of Rick Perry with 10%, Michele Bachmann with 8%, and Jon Huntsman with 4%. More»

And Santorum is surging

(NEWSER) - Yet another poll puts Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum 1-2-3 in Iowa two days before the state's caucuses. The poll, conducted by the Des Moines Register over four days last week, puts Romney at 24%, Paul at 22%, and Santorum at 15%. However, the pollster says, "Momentum’s name is Rick Santorum." Look at the final two days of polling separately and you'll see a surging Santorum in second place, with 21%, while Paul drops to 18% and Romney stays at 24%. More»

Mitt Romney basically has 4 of the 10 states in the bag

(NEWSER) - Tomorrow is looking good for Mitt Romney, who will likely take more of the 422 delegates up for grabs in Super Tuesday contests than his opponents (an additional 15 super delegates aren't bound to tomorrow's wins). He may even walk away with a delegate majority, writes Nate Silver. A look at the landscape, from the New York Times , Politico , Public Policy Polling , and the Wall Street Journal :

• Georgia (76 delegates): Newt Gingrich will almost certainly win, but Romney could "win by losing," Politico notes: A Gingrich win could keep Newt in the race, where he'll continue to siphon conservative votes from Rick Santorum. (Plus, Romney could still take up to a third of the delegates due to distribution rules.)
• Ohio (66 delegates): Romney has been closing in on Santorum here, and though the race is too close to call , some think Romney's momentum will propel him to a win. Even if it does not, he will likely take the most delegates, since Santorum may be ineligible for 18 of them.
• Tennessee (58 delegates): Romney is also closing in on Santorum here, and an upset victory—which is possible—would be symbolically huge for him, showing he holds appeal even in the South.

Clients encouraged to donate to his campaign

(NEWSER) - The latest group to get into Ron Paul's corner: prostitutes. Working girls at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada, launched a "Pimpin' for Paul" campaign weeks ago that's getting new attention thanks to a recent CNN segment. "If a client comes into the Bunny Ranch and says 'I'm pimpin' for Paul,' they're gonna have a real good time," says the brothel owner. The prostitutes support Paul because he's OK with legal prostitution, the New York Daily News notes, and they ask clients to donate to Paul. More»

Vests get their own Twitter feed, Facebook page, music video

(NEWSER) - As Rick Santorum surges in the Iowa polls, his collection of sweater vests is also winning popularity. Santorum has taken to wearing the sleeveless V-necks while campaigning in Iowa; the sartorial choice apparently first garnered attention at a Des Moines forum a few weeks ago during which most other candidates wore suits. "It sort of took on a life of its own" after that, he explains. "So I started wearing more and more. My staff bought me a bunch more." They even, the New York Times notes, had vests embroidered with his campaign logo. More»